


Waking Up in Vegas

by JehBeeEh



Series: Ahead by a Century [20]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Fluff and Humor, Good Boyfriend Tony Stark, Hockey, Ice Skating, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Las Vegas, M/M, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21707878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JehBeeEh/pseuds/JehBeeEh
Summary: Let the Vegas road trip commence! What could happen, really?
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Ahead by a Century [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1514069
Comments: 38
Kudos: 209





	1. What Happens in Vegas...

**Author's Note:**

> This one will have 2 chapters, otherwise it was just too long. Second part should be up soon.  
> And, technically, this is the weekend the Vegas trip happened. So this Chapter would have happened yesterday ;) Meant to have this up sooner, but life got in the way.

Steve hated flying. He despised it. If he was given a choice, he would rather take hours more and drive instead of getting on a flight. But every now and then, he really had no other option. At least this time, it was in a private jet with a beautiful brunette who he knew could talk him down from his fear of flying.

“You doing ok, sweetheart?” Tony asked softly, rubbing his hand up Steve's arm, fingers barely grazing his skin, trying to distract the blond.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just anxious to get going,” Steve tried to sound enthusiastic, but he knew the genius could see right through him.

They were packing the last of their things, hoping they weren't forgetting something. Steve was sitting on Tony's large bed, rattling off items from the list as Tony ran around to find them – Steve still wasn't used to where everything was in the penthouse just yet. Tony had stopped when he noticed Steve wasn't yelling out random items located in the ensuite anymore. He stood in front of the blond as he'd asked how he was and was now carding fingers through his soft golden hair, making Steve melt into him, his forehead landing on Tony's stomach.

“Feels so nice,” Steve mumbled.

“Happy you’re enjoying it,” Tony replied, his tone still sweet and soft. “I have a surprise for you. I was going to wait until we got to the airport but might be better if I tell you now.” He gently pulled Steve's head back to drop a soft kiss on his forehead before he continued. “Remember during that flight when we met, you said you wished you could have recorded me talking you through take off?”

“Yeah, and you said you should record a mediation track for _Calm_ ,” Steve replied with a shy smile, reminding the blond of their first encounter all too well. “Of course I remember, I’ve played that conversation in my head way too many times. God, I still don't know how you didn’t beg to have your seat switched.”

“Cause you were absolutely adorable, and I couldn’t stand the thought of you suffering through that flight alone.” He kissed Steve's head again. “Anyways, if you check your phone, you will notice the aforementioned _Calm_ app is now installed, and there is a special track from yours truly!”

Steve looked up, confusion evident on his brow. “What? You can't be serious!”

“I am. When I told Pepper that's how we met - may have embellished a bit and said it was why you fell in love with me – she contacted them, and they loved the idea! You get to test it out before it gets released to the public.”

“That is… I don't even know what to say. Thank you.”

“I figured you might not love the idea of me talking you through it with your friends right there, this is a bit more discreet. And I’ll be right next to you if you need the real deal anyways. Plus, private plane means headphones are a-ok during take off.”

“I love you so much,” Steve whispered as he pulled Tony down for a kiss. It started out sweet and chaste, Steve being truly grateful that his boyfriend went through all this trouble for him. Steve quickly realized Tony was getting much more passionate with every passing second, and before he knew it, the brunette had pinned him down on the mattress and was now straddling him. “Baby, we need to finish packing. Happy's gonna be here soon.”

“But this is way more fun,” Tony replied, his lips still against Steve's neck as he spoke.

“Agreed, but what's worse than my friends making fun of my fear of flying is them being stuck waiting on a tarmac cause we're having sex. They won't let me live that one down. And yes, they will know!” Steve laughed at Tony’s indignant groan as he slid off him and pulled him back up to sitting (well, Steve let him believe he pulled him up).

“Fine, but I am kicking them out at some point this weekend so we can have very loud hotel room sex.”

“You are ridiculous! Now, where did my Rangers jersey go?”

* * *

When Tony had originally suggested flying in overnight, Steve had protested, not wanting to be exhausted when he inevitably didn’t sleep during the flight. Even with the time difference, they'd still be getting into Vegas at 1a.m. New York time and they had a jam packed day planned for Friday. Tony had promised Steve would sleep on the flight, reminding him repeatedly a private jet was nothing like commercial airlines, and he promised to move things around if Steve was too tired.

Of course, Tony had been right. After enjoying the soothing sound of Tony’s voice during take off and enjoying a drink with everyone, he found himself snuggling up to Tony and quickly falling asleep while listening to an audio book on _Calm_ while Tony massaged his scalp. He woke up with a jolt when he heard the jet's door open, realizing they had landed.

“You're fine babe, everything is ok. We just landed.” Tony said, nuzzling his hair.

“How did I sleep through landing?” Steve grunted as he stretched out, baffled he had actually slept right through the part he hated the most on the ride.

“Told you. Happy should be here any second with the car.”

Steve sat up and stretched some more. He heard Bucky and Natasha laughing somewhere behind him, making him smile. He couldn't be happier in this moment knowing he got to spend the weekend with his favourite people.

“Which hotel are we staying at?” Natasha finally asked as they finished a quick ride up and down the Strip so they could see it lit up at night.

“We're at Nobu at Ceasar's Palace. It's basically in the middle of the strip, so will be easy to get places,” Steve answered.

“I hear those rooms are nice!” Bucky replied, eyeing Steve.

“I’ve stayed in this suite before. It’s nice, yeah.” Tony replied before Steve could make a comment about how unnecessary it was to book the most expensive place Tony could find.

“Thanks again for arranging all of that for us, Tony. We appreciate it.” Natasha replied.

They were rendered speechless when they saw they weren't in any ordinary suite, but the famed Nobu Villa, with one of the most spectacular views.

“Couldn't help yourself, could you? Had to show off for your boyfriend's friends?” a voice came from the balcony as they were headed towards it.

“Rhodey! You were able to make it!” Tony ran to his best friend for a hug. “Steve come here!” the brunette yelled out before noticing the blond was only a few steps behind him.

“Nice to finally meet you, Colonel Rhodes,” Steve smiled as he extended his hand towards the man.

“Yes, it’s nice to put a face to all Tony's gushing rants,” Rhodey replied, shaking Steve's hand.

“These are my friends Natasha and James,” Steve introduced them and wrapped an arm around Tony's shoulders as they shook hands and exchanged greetings. “This place is completely over the top, honey,” he mumbled with an exasperated sigh against Tony's temple before kissing him.

“Only the best for you, gorgeous.” Tony answered back, beaming at him.

“Oh, don't even bother trying to argue with him. I’ve been doing it for more years than I care to admit, and it never works.” Rhodey called out to Steve.

“Well, I'd love to stay and chat boys, but I’m exhausted,” Natasha announced.

“Come on, I’ll show you your room guys,” Tony offered looking at Bucky and Natasha. “You two have to share I’m afraid. Hope you don't mind. Steve, I’ll move our stuff to our room.” He kissed the blonde's cheek before heading back inside.

“Pepper told me he was happier than she'd ever seen him. I didn’t quite believe her, but she was not kidding. He hasn't had that look on his face. Ever. You’ve clearly done something good here, Steve,” Rhodey started when they were alone. “Look, I think we've passed the age of me warning you about hurting him and all that bullshit. And based on what Pep told me, it isn’t necessary either. I’m happy he's happy, so thanks for that.”

Steve smiled. “The last thing I want is to hurt him, I promise. I still can't believe we're together, it seems crazy, like I’ll wake up any day… I really do love him.”

“Oh I know. Pepper told me you refused to sign the paperwork for the house until Tony took out all the extra stuff he put in ‘just in case' you broke up.”

“Yeah… I told him I’d sign anything he wanted saying I was not touching his money, I don't care, but there was no way I'd sign that. I didn’t need the house plus the insane amount of money he wanted to give me. And, I have no plans to let him go anytime soon anyways.”

“You know he still made sure you were taken care of, right?”

Steve nodded, rolling his eyes as he was reminded of Pepper's text explaining how Tony had found a way to include some money for him should they separate at some point, and urged him to stop fighting him on it so she could go to bed.

“He means well, I promise,” Rhodey continued. “To him, this is nothing. It’s an easy thing he can do to make sure the people he loves will be ok. He knows he's going to love you the rest of his life. In his mind though, he's going to mess it up or you'll get tired of him, and he wants to make sure if you leave, you'll be ok. I know that’s not your plan, and it might not seem obvious most of the time, but that’s how Tony's mind works when it comes to the people he loves. He's had to deal with lots of bullshit… he still gets insecure about it all sometimes. It all comes from a good place though.”

“Thanks, that helps actually. And I’m really happy you were able to come. I couldn’t wait to meet you, Colonel. Tony talks so highly of you, and he really missed you.”

“Please call me James. And I missed him too. We don’t usually go this long before seeing each other.”

“Will you be around for the holidays?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I’m staying around until at least January. Wouldn't want to miss seeing your new place.”

Tony looked amused as he came out to the balcony 20 minutes later. “You two look like your conspiring something.”

“No conspiring, I promise,” Steve laughed as he wrapped his arms around Tony. “Ready for bed?”

“Yeah, the morning will come much too quickly at this rate,” Tony answered with a yawn.

The only advantage of a three-hour time zone difference was that 6am felt like 9am, so it was much easier to get the brunette out of bed so early.

“You sure you’re up for all this today?” Tony asked as they were getting dressed.

“Well, I don’t know what we're doing, but I’m not tired right now, if that’s what you mean. I’m good, hun,” Steve answered.

“Ok, this should be fun,” Tony wrapped his arms around Steve's neck pulling him in for a quick kiss. “By the way… Rhodey wasn’t too, how can I put this…”

“Don't worry,” Steve chuckled, kissing Tony. “We both agreed we are grown adults and he didn’t need to give me a talkin' to. He's as great as you made him sound, sweetheart.”

“Good… I’m happy. Alright, caffeine and then our car is waiting downstairs.”

Steve followed Tony, trying not to ask questions even though he was dying to find out what their itinerary looked like. They were alone in the kitchen area of the suite, assuming the other occupants were enjoying sleeping in. They found some tumblers and pastries on the counter, grabbing one of each before heading out.

“You know I love you, right?” Steve asked, grabbing Tony's hand when they got in the elevator.

“Of course I do,” Tony replied.

“I meant, I love _you,_ Tony. Not because of the crazy hotel room or the private box you got us for the game on Sunday.” Steve stopped as they went through the private exit towards their awaiting car – a brand new Audi E Tron GT. He pulled Tony to him, wrapping his arms at his waist. “And as much as I am loving the fancy cars, I would love you even if you drove a Hyundai. This trip is nothing short of amazing already, thank you. But if you told me tomorrow that you were broke and going to work at Starbucks, I’d still love you just as much. Just want to make sure you know that.” He kissed the tip of Tony's nose, making the genius laugh.

“What did Rhodey tell you?” Tony questioned, before opening the passenger door for the blond.

“Nothing I didn't already know. I just needed you to remember that before we start this crazy day I’m sure you have planned.” Steve kissed his boyfriend properly before getting in the car.

Tony couldn’t help the smile that was now on his face. It always happened whenever Steve told him how he felt about him, and it never got old. It was sometimes so hard to believe that he had found him, that they were in each others’ lives. And that for once, someone sounded genuine when they said they didn’t care about Tony's money. He grabbed Steve's hand as they drove off, bringing their joined hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to Steve's fingers.

“Here we are!” Tony looked at Steve's shocked and partially terror filled face when he saw the helicopter.

“Oh God…” Steve whispered.

“I know, not your fave thing ever, but I thought we could try it, and if you really hate it, this is easy to land. We can do a quick up and down of the Strip to try it out, and if you hate it, we go on to plan B. If you don't even want to sit in the thing, we keep driving. What do you say?”

“I’m… wow. Yeah, let’s give this a try. I mean, we're here, might as well.” Steve was still staring at the helicopter, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

“Baby, look at me,” Tony squeezed Steve's hand. Frazzled blue eyes met his. “Hi sweetheart. I mean it, we do not have to get in. We can drive. Or do anything else. I love you.”

“No no. I want to try it. Heck, I survived the flight last night. This should be fine. It'll be fine.” He gave Tony's hand a squeeze. “This'll be great.”

Happy was waiting for them by the helicopter, greeting them with a grin.

“I promise, I will make this as smooth as I can, Steve. Smoother than Boss is.” Steve chuckled at the joke attempt.

“Thanks Happy!”

After quickly settling, they were off, Steve holding on to Tony's hand for dear life.

“You ok?” Tony asked through the headset he was wearing.

“Uh-huh. This isn’t too bad.” Steve looked out the window, amazed at the view below as the Bellagio fountains were dancing below. “Where are we off to next?”

“If you're up for it, how ‘bout we go have brunch at the Grand Canyon?”

“You are absolutely ridiculous.”

“Might have heard that a few times before. That a yes?”

Steve just laughed and nodded. The rest of the day was much of the same, one absolutely ridiculous idea after another, from brunch to dinner at Gordon Ramsey's famed _Steak_ restaurant, and everything in between.

“This has been such a perfect day, thank you sweetheart,” Steve couldn’t resist pressing their lips together as they watched the Bellagio fountains from the ground this time, the water ballet set to an upbeat Beatles song. Between the picture-perfect day and the light buzz from the wine they'd had with dinner, Steve felt like he was floating on a cloud. How was this his life, he wondered for the millionth time.

“How about we get married?” Tony mused aloud, his lips brushing against the blonde's with every word.

“I'm sorry, what?” Steve pulled away and looked at Tony, trying to decide if he'd misheard, what with the sound of crashing water just a few feet away.

“Let's get married. There has to be a chapel around here somewhere…”

“You cannot be serious right now,” Steve laughed, brushing a stray curl back behind Tony's ear. When he saw brown eyes frown, just a fraction of a second, his face fell. “Shit, you weren’t kidding, were you? I’m sorry, let me explain, ok?” He placed a quick kiss to Tony's lips and pulled him aside to a quiet area. He held Tony’s hands tightly in his, holding his gaze as he spoke. “First off, you cannot spring this on me after I’ve had that much wine. I say stupid shit, I’m sorry about that.

“Second, sweetheart, I will marry you anywhere. We can go to the beach house in Malibu and get married with our feet in the sand or rent a cabin somewhere up in Canada and do it with our feet in the snow. You can book the Plaza in New York and invite a thousand people I don’t even know, or we can do it in our living room. Heck, we can even do it here in Vegas, but not on a whim at some random 24-hour chapel. That's where I draw the line, sweetheart. If you are proposing, the answer is a resounding yes. A thousand times yes. But if this is just a get married here and now thing, I… fuck I’ll hate myself tomorrow for this, but no.”

“That’s fair.” Tony let himself be pulled into Steve's arms, the blond resting his head on top of his brown curls.

“You have no idea how much I want to say yes to this right now, but I know we've both had a bit too much to drink, and Pepper will kill us if we do this, not to mention our friends that are here with us. You’ve seen the stories, babe, people already think this is just some stupid fling, and I’m too young for you, and a million other things. When this gets out, it'll be a PR nightmare. I want to marry you, so damned much, but not if that'll be all people talk about. Not that I should care what others think, but I don't want this to turn into something we regret or fight about. I want our wedding day to be the best damned day ever. No matter what we do.”

“Damn you and your logic,” Tony mumbled into Steve's neck.

“I'm so sorry. You have no idea how much I want nothing more than to call you my husband. We just can’t do this now. Not like this.” Steve let his hands drift from his boyfriend’s waist, just enough to be able to reach under his shirt and rub small circles along his jeans' waistband, eliciting a low moan from the brunette. “How about we go back to our room while it's empty and enjoy some quality time alone there?” Steve asked, voice dropping to that sexy deep tone that never failed to get Tony to agree to whatever he wanted.

“How do you know it's empty?” Tony answered back, starting to tug Steve towards their hotel.

“Bucky sent me a text while we were in the Eiffel Tower earlier. Our friends went out for dinner and drinks. Won't be back for a while.”

“They should get to know each other more if we'll be spending the weekend together and all.”

“Exactly.”

They both picked up the pace, making the distance in record time, and barely making it to their elevator before they were making out like happy teenagers. And if a picture of Steve carrying Tony into the elevator, the brunette's legs wrapped around his waist, was what made the tabloids the next day, they could not have cared less.


	2. Snow in Vegas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skating, and Hockey, and Fluffiness galore. Enjoy :)

James woke up to the smell of coffee, in probably the comfiest bed he had ever slept in. There were clearly advantages to knowing Tony Stark. He unwrapped himself from the redheaded next to him, placing a soft kiss to her shoulder. They hadn’t exactly planned for last night to happen, but he was not regretting it this morning.

He got dressed quickly and made his way out as quietly as he could. He took a wrong turn when he left their room, swearing silently at the size of the suite. When he finally turned the right corner and saw the breakfast bar where the coffee smell came from, he spotted the other James having breakfast, and his best friend with a sleepy looking Tony wrapped in his arms as they slow danced in front of the coffee machine.

“What in the world?” he started, before Rhodey just lifted his hand and shook his head to stop him. He silently slid a plate his way and nodded his head towards the breakfast buffet that had been dropped off to their suite. Bucky eyed Steve and Tony one more time, deciding Rhodey was probably right about not disturbing them and instead filling his plate.

When the coffee machine was finally done brewing, Tony let out a sigh and Steve placed a kiss to his temple.

“Morning sweetheart,” he told his boyfriend. “How did you sleep?”

“ ‘s good,” Tony mumbled back.

Steve used his right hand to grab a mug and then the carafe and fill a cup for Tony, all while still nuzzling and kissing his head, his left hand rubbing lazy patterns on his back. He handed Tony his mug and gave him a proper kiss before the brunette mumbled _I love you_ and took a sip.

The Jameses just stared at them, mouths open, heads tilted, confusion evident on both their faces.

“You guys are disgustingly sweet, you know that?” Rhodey finally said.

“What the fuck did I just witness?” Bucky asked, mostly to himself.

Steve gave them a sheepish look, before apologizing. “Sorry about that. Just something we do in the morning…” He filled three more cups, sliding two towards the men in front if him. “Was Nat awake yet?”

“Not sure,” Bucky replied with a shrug, quickly taking a sip of his coffee.

“Where did you guys end up last night?” Steve asked.

“Tasha found this crazy place that has drinks the size of fishbowls with candy in ‘em? Burgers were good.”

“Still not convinced white chocolate should go on a burger, but it was pretty good.” Rhodey added.

“Sugar Factory?” Tony chimed in, pouring himself a second cup of coffee.

“Sounds about right. She’ll have to show you a picture of her drink. It was pretty neat actually,” Bucky finished his plate and was about to go for seconds when Natasha walked in.

“Morning boys,” she greeted them with a smile. She squeezed by Steve and Tony to get to the coffee herself, and Bucky couldn’t help but notice Steve raising his eyebrow as she walked by.

“You’re awfully chipper this morning,” Steve questioned.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” she shrugged.

“What do we have planned today?” Rhodey asked.

“I only planned one thing today, we can wing the rest of it,” Tony told them, setting his cup down. “Did you know there's an ice-skating rink on top of the Cosmopolitan?” He gave Steve a grin as the blond realized what he was getting at. “It is all ours from 10:30 to noon today! Well, it's ours for an hour, then we get to have lunch there while they do the cleaning the ice thing.”

“That sounds awesome, thanks man!” Bucky answered.

“You know you can't skate right?” Rhodey eyed Tony over his coffee.

“Meh, can't be that hard to learn.” Tony replied.

“Don't worry, I'll help you, I promise. Thanks for doing that, hun.” Steve kissed the brunette as Bucky let out a cough that sounded an awful lot like _sap_ which prompted Tony to shoot him a glare.

“You are just jealous, Mr. Barnes,” he retorted, before jumping in Steve's arms and making out as best he could with a laughing Steve.

“Oh, trust me, I am not jealous one bit. I know how much Stevie snores, and that he hogs all the blankets. I do not need that in my life.”

“Never specified which one of us you were jealous of.”

“Okay children, that’s enough,” Rhodey cut in. “That gives us an hour and a half to get ready and head out. Tones, think you can cut your morning routine down in half?”

“What is this?! Why is everyone ganging up on me this morning?” Tony looked around, feigning hurt. He pouted at Steve, “No one loves me!” earning him a big hug and kiss from the blond who whispered something in his ear that sounded like _I love you, and always will babe,_ making Tony smile. “I can jump in the shower and be ready by 10, no problem. It's an easy walk from here.”

Within minutes Bucky, Rhodey and Tony had left for their respective rooms, leaving Natasha and Steve behind.

“Did you boys have a fun day yesterday?” Nat asked, heading towards the balcony with a fresh cup of coffee in hand and some fruit, Steve following close behind her.

“Yeah, it was amazing,” Steve started as they sat on two of the loungers on the expansive terrace. “He flew us out to the Grand Canyon for brunch in a private helicopter. Made a stop at Hoover Dam on the way back. Had a late lunch at _Once._ Drove back to New York, New York, did the rollercoaster, then Tony got us in to meet the cast before the Cirque show _Zumanity_ and he had tickets for us to see it. Then we went to Paris and had dinner at _Steak._ Yes, the beef Wellington is as amazing as you’d expect it to be, and Gordon happened to be there and came to say hi, cause of course Tony knows him. Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, then checked out the fountains and came back here.”

“Pretty boring day, I see,” Nat replied, rolling her eyes playfully at Steve, who was trying to contain his smile. “I'm happy you had fun. Gotta say, I was half expecting you to be married this morning.”

“Funny you should say that-"

“Steve Rogers you did NOT!” Nat yelled out to him.

“No! God no! Calm down. Tony did suggest it though.” Steve was thinking through what to say next, Nat recognizing his frown immediately and letting him mull his thoughts over as she picked at some berries in front of her. “I told him no and I feel selfish for it. I mean, it was a bad idea. We had too much wine, and all of you would have killed us, Pepper especially. There is no way I would have let it happen like that. You saw the pictures this morning?” Nat nodded, having seen the text Steve sent her before she had woken up. Steve had started sending random articles he saw to her, complaining about how stupid or insane some of them were – it was easier to tell her than to make Tony feel bad about it. “The headlines are so nasty, and that was nothing. I didn't want them to take something great and make it shitty.”

“That doesn't make you selfish, Steve. Not wanting everything you do to be turned into some bullshit gossip story is okay, you know,” Natasha replied, grabbing Steve's free hand. “And, you're allowed to want to try and keep some stuff private, even if it's just for a day or two.”

“Yeah. I think the reason why I feel selfish though is cause… I want to be able to go out and shop for a ring and propose myself. I want to sweep him off his feet for a change, even if it doesn’t involve helicopters and whirlwind craziness like he keeps springing on me. I just want to be able to do that you know?”

“Want to do what exactly?” Bucky asked as he walked towards them.

“Nothing you'd be interested in hearing, since my love life seems to offend you,” Steve replied, amusement visible on his face.

“It is just disgusting how lovey dovey the two of you are,” Bucky answered, sitting next to Steve on a lounge chair. “Its been long enough, you should be over the honeymoon stage.”

“I think it's adorable,” Nat smiled at Steve.

“Of course you would. Hey, did you show Stevie the pics from last night?” Bucky asked trying to steal a grape from Nat's plate.

“No, I didn’t get to it, he was too busy telling me about his romantic day with Tony.” Bucky rolled his eyes as Natasha reached for her phone, showing Steve pictures and videos of a drink the size of his head that bubbled and fogged and had giant lollipops and candy necklaces in it.

“How did you finish that?!” Steve exclaimed.

“Bucky helped with the candy, I got most of the drink to go. It's a marvelous thing being allowed to drink while walking around this place. Okay, my turn to shower. See you in a bit"

“Looks like you guys had fun last night?” Steve turned to Bucky, half smile on his lips.

“Yeah, we had a great time. Rhodey is hilarious. Had some good stories about him and Tony at MIT. You should ask him about that sometime.”

“Sure… I’ll go see if Tony's done in the shower so I can get ready. I’ll see you in a bit.” Steve clapped Bucky on the shoulder, the brunette knowing Steve was on to him about something.

Steve made his way to the largest room in their suite, where him and Tony were staying. He grabbed clean clothes from his suitcase and made his way to the massive ensuite, where Tony had just gotten out of the shower and was shaving.

“Not time to leave, right?” Tony asked, looking at Steve in the mirror.

“Nope, my turn to shower,” Steve said as he pulled his tshirt over his head. He walked over to Tony, placing a kiss on his shoulder, still damp from the shower. “God you're sexy. I should have come in the shower with you this morning.” He kept kissing up Tony's shoulder until he got to his neck, stopping then to look at him in the mirror.

“One, look who's calling me sexy, mister _my body was carved by Greek Gods_ ,” he turned to kiss Steve's cheek then. “And two, we would definitely have been late if that were the case.”

Steve let out a laugh as he kissed Tony before getting in the shower. They were quiet while Steve showered, Tony concentrating on shaving and getting dressed. When Steve came out, Tony sat himself up on the counter while Steve got ready.

“You were right last night by the way,” Tony finally said as Steve finished toweling off his hair.

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked, walking over to the sink to comb his hair.

“You’re so cute with your hair all disheveled like that.” Tony smiled sweetly at the sight before him.

“Maybe you think so, but I don’t think anyone else would agree.” Steve gave him a quick peck on the cheek before styling his hair.

Tony watched quietly for a minute, thinking of how beautiful and perfect the man before him was. “You were right about us not getting married. It would have been a really stupid idea.”

“Well, us getting married isn’t a stupid idea. The logistics you suggested were just… not ideal.” Steve moved over, pushing Tony's legs apart so he could settle in between them. “I meant it: I want to get married. I just want to do it right.” He rubbed his hands up and down Tony's thighs, making the other man hum contentedly.

“You were still right, and I owe you for that.” Tony wrapped his legs around Steve's waist and cupped his face with his hands, pulling him in for a kiss. “There's way more where that came from for you tonight. How's that sound?”

“Really good,” Steve whispered against Tony's lips. “I think we officially have to leave now to make it on time to Cosmo.” He lifted Tony off the counter and placed him on the ground. “I know I’ve told you, but seriously, thank you for all of this.”

“You are most welcome, my love. Now let’s go teach me how to skate.”

* * *

Learning how to skate did not exactly go as smoothly as Tony expected.

When they reached the rooftop rink, they had found it outfitted with a hockey net and sticks.

“Surprise? I know the owner of the Knights, he helped me set this up for you,” Tony answered sheepishly, earning himself yet another kiss from the blond.

“Why are there 5 sticks though?” Steve asked, as he went back to lacing up his skates.

“They didn’t ask me to specify how many of us would be playing, just how many of us would be here. Figured you and Bucky could have fun before we all hit the ice.”

“Thank you!” Steve grinned at him like a 5-year-old on Christmas morning. He gave Tony a quick kiss on the cheek and was on the ice before Tony had even attempted to get his own skates on, gliding around easily. Bucky ran on shortly after him, speeding up to catch up to Steve who was already at the other end of the rink. They chased after each other for a few laps before each grabbing a stick and a hockey puck and passing it around, each taking turns shooting in the empty net.

“You just made their weekend,” Natasha chimed in from her spot next to Tony on the bench. She’d stopped putting on her skates to look at the boys play, carefree as if no one was watching. “They haven't gotten to do that in a long time.”

“I'm just happy if Steve is happy,” Tony replied simply, his eyes not leaving the blond. Steve had never looked so young and adorable, and Tony was mesmerized.

“Trust me, you make him more than a little happy.”

Steve and Bucky skated their way, tackling each other playfully.

“You guys wanna play a pickup game?” Bucky asked.

“I'm in,” Nat replied, hurrying back to putting her skates on.

“Absolutely!” Rhodey answered at the same time, getting on the ice effortlessly.

“I’ll be the official score keeper,” Tony smiled as he answered, getting closer to the boards. “No one get hurt, yeah? I don’t know if their insurance covers hockey injuries.” He kissed Steve before he skated off again, smitten with the boyish smile plastered on his boyfriend's face.

“How about the Jameses against you and I, Nat?” Steve called out to the redhead as he pulled his sunglasses back on – how awesome was it to get to skate around in the bright Vegas sun and warmth, not needing layers upon layers to not freeze.

“Sounds good to me!” she replied, taking a practice shot on the net.

“How do you know if this is a fair fight?” Rhodey asked.

“I have no clue how good you are, but I know just how bad Buck is, so him and Nat are basically even.” Steve replied, skating away from his best friend, who was trying to body check him for the comment.

“Oh, it is on now, lover boy. Don't think I’ll go easy on you cause your boyfriend paid for all this.”

“Just don't hurt his face, please!” Tony called out, earning himself a laugh from Bucky, and an offended _what the fuck_ from Steve.

They played for 20 minutes; the teams oddly well balanced. Nat had clearly taken figure skating lessons and could twirl and move effortlessly around Bucky and Rhodey, and Steve scored easily, barely ever missing the net. The other two had a little less grace, but still had speed and enough accuracy to keep up. Bucky managed to accost Natasha a few times, lifting her up easily so she couldn't get to the puck, leaving Steve and Rhodey to fend for themselves. When they were all tired, they called it a game, Tony announcing they were tied. They took a few minutes to sit down, some spiked hot chocolates appearing at a table near them while Steve helped Tony lace up his skates.

Just as they were about to get on the ice, it started snowing, courtesy of the snow machines located on the other side of the ice, and Christmas music started playing.

“Ready to go?” Steve asked sweetly, holding out a hand for Tony.

“I guess.” Tony sounded unsure as he got up and walked gingerly towards the slick surface, grabbing his boyfriend's hand. Steve stepped on, backwards no less, holding Tony firmly.

“Just take it easy ok, nice and slow. I’ve got you,” Steve encouraged him, holding out his other hand as Tony put a foot on the ice, clearly nervous to let go of the solidity of the boards. “You're doing great sweetheart.”

“This might not be as easy as I thought,” the genius mumbled as he finally let go of the board and quickly grabbed Steve's other hand, making small shuffling movements with his feet.

“You have to push with the side of your other foot to move forward, not just shuffle.” Steve tried to explain. Tony seemed very set on keeping both feet on the ice at all times, so Steve mostly just pulled him along as he slowly skated backwards. “Baby, don't buckle your knees like that, or you'll definitely fall, ok?”

Tony was concentrating hard on all the instructions Steve was trying to give him, but nothing was working. After Tony almost fell for the third time and was about to call it quits (not that Steve minded catching him, mind you), Natasha shooed the blond away as she took over teaching Tony the basics of skating.

Steve kissed Tony's forehead before Natasha physically shoved him away. He started off towards the other end of the rink, where Bucky was chatting with Rhodey. They skated around a few laps, chatting about the following day's game, when Rhodey got a phone call he had to take, leaving Steve alone with Bucky. They did another lap in silence before Steve finally asked.

“So, how long has that been going on?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?” Bucky answered, pretending not to have a clue what his best friend was referring to.

“If you don't tell me, I’ll just ask her, and you know it.” Steve answered simply, zig zagging on his skates, as if he was on a slalom course. “Or I can wait all day for you to tell me. I’m easy.”

Bucky sighed. “Couple of months, I guess? We've been hanging out more since you’ve been with Tony – not a criticism and you know it. It's been nice to see you so happy, man.” Bucky smiled at Steve, the blond blushing. “We've just been spending more time just the two of us and getting to know each other better. It isn't quite the same, you know, when you aren't there. Hard to explain.” Bucky looked over to Nat then, smiling as she got Tony to do more than a shuffle, Steve cheering him on from afar when Bucky pointed towards them. Bucky turned back to Steve, stopping by the boards opposite where Nat and Tony were on the long edge of the rink. “Last night we just got back to the hotel and went to sit on the balcony for a bit. You two were being very loud by the way.”

Steve shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry. There's a door from our room that leads to the balcony. Think we didn’t close it properly after we got out of the hot tub.”

“I don’t even wanna know… Anyways, we got to talking some more, and when we went back to our room… I don’t know, I went to kiss her, and she was doing the same thing and, yeah. That happened.”

“How awkward was it this morning?”

“It wasn't. She was still sleeping when I got up, but it didn't feel like I had to bolt or apologize or anything. It was nice waking up next to her. After you went to shower, I went back to our room and when she got out of the bathroom she came over and kissed me, so I'm thinking she doesn’t regret it either. We didn’t really get to chat much though.”

“Well, if you guys are happy, I’m happy. She’s great.” Steve answered.

Bucky didn’t get a chance to answer before Tony came crashing into Steve, almost knocking him off balance.

“Sorry, I haven't mastered stopping yet. But, I can get around with a bit more flare than my previous shuffle now,” Tony beamed at Steve. “Wanna go for a spin?”

Steve laughed. “Yes, I would love to.” He grabbed Tony's hand and sure enough, Nat had indeed managed to get him to glide pretty well. They did a couple of laps before Tony proclaimed he was exhausted and his feet hurt. Steve spun him around until he was in his arms and kissed him. “I love you, Tony.”

“Love you too, Steve.”

* * *

“I wanna propose to Tony,” Steve blurted out in the middle of the second period of the game.

“Right now?!” Bucky asked, confused.

“No! That's what Nat and I were talking about yesterday on the balcony when you showed up. I was telling her I want to propose. Is that crazy?” Steve asked, for the first time wondering if maybe it was too soon.

They were seated in the box Tony had gotten for the Rangers versus Golden Knights game, for some reason Tony insisting all of them should go. Rhodey had gone between sitting with them in the lower portion of the box where they had a perfect view of the ice, and heading back in to chat with Tony, Happy, and Nat, who had settled on the couches inside after the first few minutes of the first period.

“Normally, I’d say yes. It hasn’t been a year and you haven’t formally lived together at all, even if Tony basically lived at your place before you decided to make it official. But this is you. And I’ve seen the two of you together – not just talking about all the mushy stuff either. And, you aren’t kids. It feels right. I can't imagine you with anyone else. So, no. I don’t think it's too soon."

“Thanks. Not sure why I’m second guessing this now…” Steve mumbled, rubbing his hands over his face.

“Cause you are Steve Rogers and you excel at over thinking things once you decide what you want. Just go with your gut on this one Steve and stop over analyzing it. Something clearly made you think you wanted this and were ready for this, just stop thinking about it. I have no doubt, this is the right decision. You shouldn't either.

“By the way, how did you figure Tasha and I out? Wanted to ask yesterday.”

“Well, a couple weeks ago, when you were at my place, you said something that had me wondering. And Nat was way too happy this morning, she's usually as bad as Tony in the morning. She only acts like that when she’s had sex. And she smelled like your cologne when she walked by me to get coffee. When I walked by your room and saw only one of the beds had clearly been slept in though, that settled it. You’ve both stayed at my house, you don’t make beds in the morning.” Steve gave him a sideways glance, holding back a laugh as Bucky turned pink.

“How'd you recognize my cologne?!” Bucky huffed.

“Remember that time I borrowed your cologne, and Drew had a hissy fit over it? Haven’t forgotten it since.”

“Shit I almost forgot about that. He was something else…” Bucky got up and ruffled Steve’s hair. “I’m getting another beer, want one?”

“I’m good for now, thanks.”

Steve went back to watching the game, trying to quiet the part of his brain that was going through all the _what if_ possibilities. The one that kept creeping back was simple: What if you don't do this? _I’d regret it for the rest of my life._ The answer was so simple, and yet was the biggest factor in helping Steve squash all the other thoughts buzzing through his brain. He got an idea, and decided he was going to go for it. He couldn't help the smile that graced his lips as he thought it through more and more, making it hard to hide his excitement when Tony sat next to him a few minutes later. Steve wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss before he'd even said a word, his lips parting, his tongue licking gently against Tony's bottom lip, making the other man moan.

“What was that for?” Tony asked, pulling away, before things got too heated.

“Just cause I love you, so so much,” Steve replied, kissing his neck, absolutely unable to keep his lips off the brunette.

“I’ll need to bring you to hockey games more often if this is the effect it has on you.” Tony let out another moan as Steve found that perfect spot along his jaw line that just drove him mad. “Should I be worried about you and Bucky coming to games alone?”

“Has nothing to do with hockey, and everything to do with you, sweetheart. Maybe a small percentage can go towards how hot you look in a hockey jersey though.” Steve rubbed their noses together before going back to kissing him on the lips, this time Tony letting himself be kissed, not trying to break away.

When their friends joined them, Steve was forced to let go of the brunette, as Bucky kept throwing popcorn at them, much to everyone's amusement. The blond couldn't have been happier that their friends had gotten along so well and easily. They were their family after all. He was beyond grateful they'd gotten to spend the weekend together, gotten to know each other a little better. He could not imagine a better scenario if he tried.

He placed one last kiss to Tony's temple, perfectly content with the knowledge that soon, he'd get to call this perfect man his husband. And it could not come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voila! Hope you enjoy this adorable fluff. Oh the fluff. Next up, fluff themed for the holidays! ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! <3 Part 2 will be fun and fluffy and have everyone hanging out for a day. Should be cute!


End file.
